Trouble In Dublin (and the rest of Ireland)

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November 5 - 26, 2007

Ireland emanates a magical, musical, mystical feel that is difficult to describe in words, and seems to thoroughly penetrate both the people and the land itself. From the compulsively social Irish pubs to the impossibly endless stone fences of the countryside, Ireland left an definite impression upon me. Ireland has been blessed with the likes of William Butler Yeats, James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, Aruthur Guinness, Sinead O’Connor, The Cranberries, U2, and unbelievably, MacGyver.

Ireland’s social culture is deeply rooted in its perfect Guinness, although those from Cork would undoubtedly argue on the behalf of Murphy’s Irish Stout. Either way, it’s the local pub, the beer, and the music that holds Ireland together. Even a Sunday night offers countless busy pubs to enjoy, my favorite being Foggy Dew’s perpetually packed crowd for the Sunday night reggae band. Undoubtedly the major and unexpected highlight of my trip was experiencing Sinead O'Connor's incredible vocal presence in a small sold-out venue in her hometown of Dublin (thanks Maja, for working your magic)!!

The first of two road trips carried me away for a three day excursion to County Clare on the west coast, stopping in the desolate hills of Connemara and settling into Galway for the first evening. Galway's reputation of being a crazy party city was reinforced by the plethora of lively pubs, musicians, and a group of (female) American lawyers studying for their Masters degrees who unexpectedly kept us up for a good craic until 6 in the morning. We continued to meander along the rugged coastline, through small villages signed in Gaelic, and into the barren Burren, with the endless stone fences quantizing the Irish countryside along the way. The musically famous small town of Doolin provided us a B&B next to a lively pub serving the best of the Guinness Irish stew while listening to the impromptu ‘sessions’ where locals would play traditional Irish music in between sips of drink. Skipping the tourist area, we stole our way through the farmer’s fields near Hag’s Head and found an abandoned stone watchtower seemingly built on the edge of the earth. Laying on natural flowing grassy fields at the edge of the sheer drop, we overlooked the rugged Cliffs of Moher plunging 214 metres into the relentless Atlantic. The last stop of our trip was the desolate lighthouse in Loophead, which used to be called Leap Head for the legend of a man who leaped off the cliff onto a rock outcropping to escape a bitter queen.

Cliffs of Moher, County Claire, Ireland. A short walk through farmer's fields near Nag's head led us to more serene view of the cliffs, and a marvelous place to watch the world fall away.

Cliffs of Moher, County Claire, Ireland. A 214 metre drop into the Atlantic Ocean.

Connemara, Ireland. Although not as barren as the Burren, Connemara had a very bleak feel to it, especially where I photographed this abandoned stone house.

Near the Cliffs of Moher, County Claire, Ireland. This old tower is perched at the edge of the cliffs that look along the coast towards the famous Cliffs of Moher.

Near the Cliffs of Moher, County Claire, Ireland. A view of the famous cliffs from inside the abandoned stone tower.


Near Cliffs of Moher, County Claire, Ireland. These cows are happy being confined behind the rock fences. They have a great view of the ocean!

I met up with Scott down in Cork to embark on another road trip throughout the south-west corners to see the Ring of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula. The land provided stunning vistas emphasized by the constant threat of storms. We continued off the beaten path down minuscule winding roads and hiked through fields, beaches, and barren grasslands that gave way to rugged cliffs. Driving through this part of Ireland was beautiful, especially when putting the rental car through its paces on hilly, turbulent, and tiny mountain roads… all while driving on the wrong side of the road! (click to view the LARGE 100mb video here that would disturb the car rental agency). Returning for an evening out in Cork, we met some girls who insisted on playing ‘cat and mouse’ and followed them to a small after party held at one of their boyfriend’s house. I reckon these Irish girls were crazy as crackers… between bouts of guitar playing and singing, they insisted on ‘playing MacGyver’, where they would sing the TV theme song and hurl themselves across the room into the couches. Amidst the chaos, I ended up with the best souvenir of my trip – a used hurling stick from one of the top players in the country! Since hurling is a sport that makes hockey look like knitting class, I didn’t stick around long enough to find out what he thought about his girlfriend giving it to me without his knowledge!! Before returning the rental car in the morning, we visited the Blarney Castle to kiss the famous Blarney Stone in order to endow ourselves with the gift of gab if the legend remains true. Later, I joined some people at a remote gathering of hippies for a night of live music and dancing. The venue organically crafted with a grass roof, mushroom-themed stained-glass windows, a wall built from tree ends forming flower patterns, open spiral staircases built amongst the branches of a tree, and a massive fireplace to cast a warm glow on the many diverse people.

South Western Ireland near the Coast. Grassy hills, small lakes, and threatening skies.


Molly's Old Tea Room, Somewhere Near Killarney, Ireland. I'm all over Molly and her thatched roof and stone walls.

South Coast, Ireland. Quaint little town as viewed from the speeding car.


Ring of Kerry, Southwest Ireland. Stone fences, sheer cliffs, and grassy fields line the countryside.


Ireland. Driving here was kinda exciting on the extremely small roads and on the wrong side of the road. Did you check out the crazy driving video? Check the link in the blog.


Cork, Ireland. An interesting night out with the MacGyver Girls. I have some of this on video I'll show to anyone willing to watch! That's the hurl (stick) similar to the one I was given by the girlfriend of one of the best players in Ireland... (don't tell him I have it)!


Blarney Castle, Ireland. After kissing the Blarney Stone, we wandered into the forested area where the wishing stairs were and also some of the sacred worshipping places from Ireland's pagan past.

Back in Dublin, I explored the city further and felt the not-so-long-ago financial shambles and poverty that previously defined Dublin. The recent economic boom has undoubtedly left the city a massive windfall of money to fund the myriad noisy mechanized street cleaners and the ridiculous numbers of empty double-decker city buses that choke the streets worse than New York taxi cabs. These catastrophes, undoubtedly introduced by Guinness-soaked politicians, seem in direct contrast to the spirit of Dublin containing exceptional bookstores, a bustling social scene, and a vibrant literary and musical history. Up in Northern Ireland, Belfast still felt heavy under the shadow of the religious feuds and past bombings, with the infamous murals to serve as both a reminder and as propaganda.

Dublin, Ireland. Old buildings, and obnoxious empty double-decker city buses choking the city.

Dublin, Ireland. My goodness, my Guinness. This was a very good factory tour.

Dublin, Ireland. I count 7 of these obnoxious empty double decker buses in this single frame.

Temple Bar bar, Dublin, Ireland. This is a very popular district to hang out in, and several of these pubs are decorated with a unique style.

Dublin, Ireland. Rainbows, but no leprachauns anywhere in sight.

Dublin, Ireland. Near Temple Bar, with the rainbow following a similar contour as the pedestrian bridge crossing the River Liffey.

Belfast, Ireland. The Christmas market in downtown Belfast. I didn’t see any religious extremists arguing about the definition of Christmas.

Belfast, Ireland. Famous propaganda murals.


Belfast, Ireland. This mural may not be as famous, but it fits into the political commentary in this section of the city. I couldn't agree more. More trees, less Bush!


Belfast, Ireland. On the other side of the peace line, these murals depict a slightly grimmer reminder of the past, and also serve as propaganda to subtley remind people of the differences between the Catholics and the Protestants. Perhaps they should be reminded of the bigger differences between other religions...


Belfast, Ireland. More propaganda. I'm not an expert, but I believe that this religious war was really a social class and status war. Religion played a part in the battle, but it seems spirituality was forgotton.

The Black Forest and the French Croissant

Freiburg (Germany), The Black Forest (Germany), Colmar (France), and Strasbourg (France)
October 27 - November 5, 2007


Situated close to Switzerland and France, the German town of Freiburg exudes a sense of vibrant energy that seems to stem from both the university and the proximity to the Hansel-and-Gretel-fabled Black Forest. Driving into the forest was magical, as the threatening weather added to the mystery and the darkness. Winding roads, low-hanging clouds, lush grassy hills, deep dark green forests, and oddly shaped dwellings were scattered throughout. It seems that many of the old houses combined both the living quarters of the animals and family under a single vast sloping roof. As we drove through the hilly passes, the moving clouds drafted upwards through the treetops, creating the illusion that smoke was rising from the forest floor. Daniela and I continued to her parent''s vineyard near the edge of the forest where we stopped by for a sample of the 'new wine'. While in Freiburg, I stayed at a cool hostel that came complete with a pool table, ping pong table, and a conga drum!! Unfortunately I had to bow to the German to whom I continuously suffered disheartening defeats to at ping-pong.

A daytrip to Colmar was interesting for its architecture that resembled a photograph of a particular but anonymous building that would send me on a wild goosechase a little further north. Several months earlier, I had contacted an artist whose photograph I liked very much, and asked him where the building was located. He indicated a very small town on the French/German border. How hard could it be, I asked myself... not hard, unless the artist was attempting to deceive me!? My small quest led me to Strasbourg, France, with a daytrip to hunt down the elusive building in Kehl, Germany. I was disappointed not to capture the image I was seeking, but it did lead me on a small adventure I would otherwise not have had.

Strasbourg was a fairly pretty city with the downtown shopping core filled with old buildings and surrounded by canals. It was very apparent that there were many homeless people living on the street, while tourists and other folk crowded the massive street shopping districts. In nearby suburbs, people lived in vacated parking lots between the train tracks, highway, and river, living in makeshift huts or ratty mobile homes while their children played on the asphalt. From Strasbourg I had intended to go to Paris, however, the French were yet again not working... this time because of railway strikes. I decided to jump over to Ireland before returning to the UK to catch a flight back to Canada...



The Black Forest, Germany. The clouds hung low over the hills of the Black Forest.



The Black Forest, Germany. Typical style houses with massive sloping roofs. Many houses, as with this one, had the family portion up front while the livestock lives in the rear barn attached to the same building.


The Black Forest, Germany. Unseasonal sunflowers without the sun.


The Black Forest, Germany. More sunflowers in the fields.


Near the Black Forest, Germany. Daniela's parent's vineyard.



Freiburg, Germany. Cobbestone streets of this quaint town near the Black Forest.


Freiburg, Germany. Small canal through the town.




Colmar, France. Strikingly different architecture in this heavily touristed town.


Strasbourg, France. Nightview of one of the many restaurants in the downtown core.